The Phoenix Syndrome by Claire Gem
Turning forty, for Lannie Marvin, is rough. It’s the day she discovers her husband is leaving her for a younger “soulmate.” At work, a crazed mouse being treated with an experimental drug brutally bites her. Then, Lannie goes a little crazy, too.
Seems she’s recently developed a serious crush on the drummer of her son’s favorite heavy metal band. Waking up to her husband’s empty closet, her finger still throbbing from the mouse bite, Lannie snaps. Under the ruse of a shopping trip, Lannie kidnaps her sister-in-law/best friend, and heads toward Bethel, New York – the site of the original Woodstock concert.
Just so happens Dreamwish is playing a concert there, and Lannie managed to procure the pair of tickets her son won but couldn’t use.
Tristan Allard, the band’s drummer, holds this benefit every year in memory of his wife, whom he lost to breast cancer. The musician is beginning to doubt his ability to write the band’s music without his wife’s inspiration – she was also his muse. Plus, he’s damn lonely. So when a sexually charged, extremely attractive, slightly older woman literally plows into him at the backstage reception, Tristan is ready to learn more about her – and her long-buried interest in musical composition.
The two head off for a wild ride of a weekend, but reality boomerangs around way too soon. Tristan is headed to the UK to audition his next album’s scores. And an elevated libido isn’t the only side-effect of that experimental drug.
Description
Find more from this author on:
About the author:
She writes in two genres: romance w/a ghostly twist, and sexy contemporary. Claire’s books are like a thrill ride at a theme park. Whether it’s spooky-scary, angst-ridden relationships filled with gut-wrenching turmoil, silly chuckle moments, or hot-flash-inducing sex, Claire guarantees to take you on an emotionally intense romantic journey
What inspired you to write your book?
That one line (and the reaction to it!) spurred the entire story idea.
Here is a short sample from the book:
But then there was the drummer. If not for the overhead monitors panning in for close-ups during the performance, I might never have known he existed. What a travesty that would have been.
In a word, he was . . . magnificent. He sat like a king on his throne at the elevated rear of the stage, sparkling silver-flake drums surrounding him like loyal minions. The monitor directly over our seats focused on him often, so close and so clear I could see the sweat glistening on sculpted upper arms, bare beneath a black muscle shirt stretched taut across a broad chest. Some sort of ink crawled over one bicep. A black-and-white paisley bandanna covered most of his head, but long, dark curls framed his face and clung damp against his neck. His facial hair, limited to a sparse mustache and goatee, was chocolate brown. I indulged in the fantasy that his eyes were that same sweet, smoldering color.
His passion for his work was palpable. Hands flying, head bobbing, he was completely engrossed, as if the music were a drug he was tripping on. His hooded eyes gave him the look of a sleepy lover, but when he did open them, I could swear he was gazing directly at me.
Looking back on that night, I can’t be sure how long we’d sat there before I fixated on my drummer boy. The music, which at first grated on my senses as way too loud and completely discordant, gradually began to permeate my brain. Before long, my bare toes started tapping against the carpeted floor. I freed one hand from my cup of wine to pat my thigh in time with the music. When my head began to bob, almost of its own accord, I smiled.
Ah, now I know why they call progressive metal fans head bangers.
We were climbing into my brother’s SUV, Paul at the wheel with Jeri and Jay next to him in the front. I sat squashed between my husband and son in the back.
“So, what did you guys do for all that time?” Ryan asked.
“We saw Dreamwish,” Paul piped up from the front, sounding as though his statement actually made sense.
“You saw our concert? You guys?” Jay sputtered through his laughter.
I opened my eyes to find my son staring at me in much the same way Jeri had been earlier.
“How’d you like it, Mom?” Ryan asked in a slight singsong of ridicule, which I chose to ignore.
I hesitated, clearing my throat. “The music is . . . different,” I said.
I caught my brother watching me in the rearview mirror. He was wearing an impish grin. “It’s true, Ryan,” he said. “For a while there, we were afraid your mother might run off with one of the roadies.”
“To hell with the roadies,” I snapped. “If I run off, it will definitely be with the yummy drummer.”
Related products
-
Fall Again: Beginnings by Donna Figueroa
What if you were to meet the perfect person – your best friend, soul mate and the great love of your life – but at the wrong time?
That question is at the heart of Fall Again, a contemporary romantic series about two working actors, Marc Guiro and Lauren Phillips set against the backdrop of New York, Los Angeles and points in-between over two decades.
In the first book, Beginnings you’ll meet Marc & Lauren and their closest friends in the optimistic New York City of the late 1980’s.
Marc Guiro is from Montreal Canada and is pursuing acting against the wishes of his family. Marc’s serious approach to life rarely allows others to get close.
Lauren Phillips is confident, positive and has been fixated on moving to New York and becoming an actor since she was a child growing up in the Midwest. Since her graduation from college Lauren’s sole focus becomes her career.
Marc and Lauren meet when they are very young and focused on building their careers as professional actors in New York City. Despite an obvious attraction, decorum dictates that their relationship remain platonic.
One major complication is Miriam, Marc’s longtime girlfriend and the daughter of his father’s business partner. Miriam hates everything about his life in New York and has her mind set on marriage.
Over time Marc and Lauren find themselves struggling to maintain the façade of being just friends to those around them, as well as to each other. But regardless of their best efforts to remain friends, Marc and Lauren fall in love.
The Fall Again series not only follows the lives of Marc and Lauren, but also provides a realistic look into the lives of working actors.
DISCONNECTED by J. Cafesin
Ever drink too much, eat too much, indulge in excess, then swear you won’t do it again, but do? Ever fall for someone you knew you shouldn’t?
Rachel sought what most women did—to be successful, married and in love, have healthy kids. It was hard enough attracting a man when she wasn’t heroin thin or chic like most L.A. women, or sparkly, but not too bright, as her mom insisted females should be. But in the 1990s, finding a man wanting an equal partner, a woman beside him instead of behind him, seemed the impossible dream.
Then along came Lee…
How Far Have Women Come in 30 yrs?
DISCONNECTED is a modern, historical novel about the Coming of Age OF women, for women. The story exposes the antiquated roles women were expected to maintain in the recent past, up close, and very personal. It reveals the impossible standards of feminism—being poised, confident, cover-girl worthy, all while climbing the corporate ladder, and raising a family, and mirrors the challenges most women still face today.
Deemed a “Novel Memoir,” by the author, in defense of James Frey on Oprah, DISCONNECTED is “Poignant, Compelling, Thought-Provoking,” Woman’s Fiction that will linger long after the read.
Layers Deep by Lacey Silks
He needs her to save a friend.
She needs him to plan her revenge.
Their pasts scar them Layers Deep.
Their passion distracts them…
…and distractions can be fatal.
Tristan Cross is battling emotional demons from the past. He lives in a world where trust is earned, loyalties are tested, and love is impossible. That is, until he meets Allie Green. She’s the only woman who can help him find a kidnapped friend and to top it off, she captivates him. All he has to do now is persuade her to work for Cross Enterprises, his top investigations firm.
Allie Green is a rookie cop seeking revenge and she’s willing to sell her soul to get it. When an opportunity to use Tristan Cross presents itself so does the time for payback. As her vengeance boils her blood she can’t keep her mind off her new boss and Allie finds it difficult to keep her employment professional. With the mouth watering Tristan Cross distracting her, she struggles to prioritize an undercover job she’s been assigned and her hunger for revenge.
And when you’re ready to give up your life to save someone else, distractions can be fatal.
Note: This new adult/erotic romance novel is the first part of a Trilogy that is designed to be read in order. Tristan and Allie will get their happy ending but not until book 2. This book contains a suspenseful cliffhanger ending you will not expect. A prequel to the series which can be read alone is Dazzled by Silver.
The Dr Pepper Prophecies by Jennifer Gilby Roberts
Mel is a twenty-five-year-old underachiever with a terrible job, too much time on her hands and a perfect younger sister. Her work and love lives hit a new low when she ends up working for her ex.
The one good thing in her life has always been her best friend Will, who has seen her through every crisis from lost toys to pregnancy scares. Now a successful accountant, he looks a prime catch to his girlfriend Natalie, who’s determined to replace Mel as the woman in his life.
Despairing of improving her own life, she sets out to help her friends instead.
After all, what’s the worst that can happen?
A contemporary romantic comedy based loosely on Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’ and similar in style to works by Sophie Kinsella.
Bad Boys of BDSM Box Set by Anita Lawless, C.J. Sneere, Roxxy Meyer, Leigh Foxlee
SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE! LIMITED TIME ONLY!
From Amazon & All Romance bestsellers the Wild & Lawless Writers!
Go on a wild ride with these decadent bad boys of BDSM.
Get tangled up with alpha billionaires and werewolves. Let a bad boy claim your heart. Fall in love with a rugged mercenary, and follow one young dominatrix as she tries to tame two rough bikers.
This box set includes six novellas plus bonus stories and an exclusive sneak peek at the upcoming Midnight Wolves MC Saga.
Stories so dirty and hot, your ereader may not survive!
This box set includes:
Bad Boy Werewolf (MF; HEA)
Bonus Story: Waking Up Werewolf Part 1 (MM)
Claimed by the Bad Boy (MF/MFM/MFF; HEA)
Bonus Story: Jack & James (MMMMMMM)
Bad Boy Biker (MM/MMM; HFN)
Bonus Story: Barista Boys (MM)
Bad Boy Alphas (MMM; HEA)
Bonus Story: Lust Times Two (MMF)
Her Bad Boy Protector (MF; HEA)
Bonus Story: Stripped Down (FF)
Taming Two Bad Boys (MFM; HEA)
Bonus Story: Surrender To His Proposal (MMF)
Bonus Excerpt: Midnight Wolves Part 1
Bonus Excerpts
All stories have an extreme heat level.
While My Love Sleeps by Amanda Brenner
When aristocratic Karl, Graf von Abensberg, heir to a centuries-old title, married commoner Leda Devoe, he told her he needed her strength, her courage, and her love. Soon all three are tested when Karl is injured in an explosion that leaves him in a deep coma, and Leda is all that stands between him and those who would rob him of his property, his fortune, and his very life. Will her courage and determination be enough to save the man she loves? They will have to be, for in her heart of hearts, Leda knows that if her beautiful husband’s life is over, then so is her own.
Sealed in Blood by Jenna Fox
Determined to forget her ex-fiancé, and gather the remains of her betrayed heart, Charisma Claiborne scrapes together her hard earned pennies for a dream trip to Las Vegas. On her first day in town, she has an accident with an eccentric casino owner. Enthralled by his good looks, she falls into his bed for a steamy one night stand.
But Hunt Blackwater is more than a mysterious, gorgeous casino owner. Rumors of a Native American curse and a string of inexplicable deaths follow in his wake. But the most terrifying is his ability to reach right into Charisma’s soul and make her want the things she’s convinced herself she can do without.
Unwilling to get in over her head, Charisma cuts her trip short and returns home, but trouble seems to follow her. With remembered whispers of curses in her ears, and the lingering smell of death in her nose, she wonders if she is his next victim. Things go from puzzling to harrowing as Charisma comes face to face with the greatest betrayal she could ever imagine.
The Keeper by R. L. Mosz
The Keeper is a thought-provoking, clean, and contemporary women’s drama that explores the mysterious power of friendship and love. Initially, powerhouse surgeon Dr. Chris Seacrest finds little of interest to him in the young, post-stroke patient Caitlin Rosenberry. But a brief encounter in an exam room sets a series of cataclysmic events into motion from which there is no turning back. In the midst of it all, Dr. Seacrest finds himself in love with Caitlin, yet she never wants to see him again.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.